ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks to increase its capacity at its French plant
Monday, 25 June 2018
ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks is investing €7 million in installing a new high-technology welding line at its Lorraine facility in Uckange, France. The application of the technology is the first of its kind to combine welding and partial ablation in the production of laser welded blanks (LWB) simultaneously. The line will ramp up the plant capacity
- Published in Automotive
Hyundai and Audi to join hands in developing fuel cell technology
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Hyundai and Audi agreed to work together and share their hydrogen fuel cell car technology. Both automakers will have to work together and share components to help advance hydrogen fuel cell technology into the mainstream automotive sector. Commodity Inside View: Over the last few years, others automakers also made similar arrangements to develop the technology.
- Published in Automotive
Automaker Peugeot PSA withdraws from Iran, others likely to follow as the deadlines approach
Tuesday, 05 June 2018
French automaker Peugeot PSA has halted its investments in Iran in response to the US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. PSA was in joint ventures with Iranian carmakers Iran Khodro Industrial Group and Saipa. However, it is now seeking a waiver from the US with the French government support. Commodity Inside View:
- Published in Automotive
Following steel, auto tariffs can be the next to hit NAFTA. Would comparative disadvantage work for the US?
Friday, 01 June 2018
The North American automotive industry is highly integrated. Vehicles are built on shared platforms, enhancing the whole supply chain across the region. Robust demand in the regional automotive industry attracted all major global OEMs to the region which created fierce competition and sophisticated network of OEMs and auto parts suppliers. This enables them to source
- Published in Steel
Apple increases its fleet of autonomous cars for open roads tests
Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Apple has recently added a further 28 autonomous test cars. It has now 83 autonomous test cars in California, according to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The company is now well ahead of traditional players such as Waymo with 51 cars, Tesla with 39 cars, and Drive.ai with 14 cars. Commodity Inside understands
- Published in Automotive
A round-up of the flat steel market in South East and South Asia
Wednesday, 23 May 2018
In Southeast Asia, slab prices edged down early this month due to low demand and plentiful supply. Demand in the region is set to remain weak in the short term due to the uncertainty caused after 25% tariff on the US imports which affected various markets, particularly Asia. Meanwhile, demand in Malaysia and Indonesia remained
- Published in Steel
Autonomous vehicles technology is developing faster, with all major automakers are in the race
Friday, 18 May 2018
Traditional automakers are currently tackling the hydra-headed problem of disruptive technologies. The almost daily emergence of new competitors has been reshaping the auto industry and making the sector more technological advanced. The zenith of all these transformations is the ‘autonomous technology’. OEMs are investing billions of dollars annually to take the leads in developing the
- Published in Automotive
Electric vehicles market has been showing robust growth despite some headwinds
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
The global automotive industry has been going through drastic changes. One of the fundamental changes is its shift towards electrifications. The shift is supported by both high environmental standards and generous state-supported EV adoption incentives. So far, most OEMs have introduced their EVs models, though the market has yet to prove itself in the mass
- Published in Automotive
A Strategic Outlook for the Global Lithium-ion Batteries Market to 2028
Wednesday, 09 May 2018
Electric vehicles have not just been revolutionising the automotive sector, but it is also reshaping the energy and materials sectors. One of the key components of the smooth running of electric vehicles is the rechargeable battery. So far lithium-ion battery has emerged the main beneficiary from this new trend. Li-ion batteries have been in use
- Published in Automotive, Energy
The global composites materials market will see substantial growth in the next ten years
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Composite materials have been substituting conventional materials across various applications for decades, though with slow penetration rates. The growth rate in the composites materials industry has started getting traction. However, in volume terms, composites are still far behind due to lack of technical advancements in the raw materials manufacturing process, costs of raw materials, composite
- Published in Plastics